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ScienceWriters magazine

ScienceWriters is a quarterly magazine devoted to analytical reporting and commentary on issues in science journalism and public information, both staff and freelance, and to the special interests of members of the National Association of Science Writers, for whom it is published. Sample issue.

A typical issue contains first-hand reports by top-flight journalists on the coverage of major science news events, essays and sidebars on surfacing questions in journalism ethics and behavior, and practical advice from old hands on avoiding pitfalls. A section on useful tips for freelancers is also featured in every issue — from market surveys to what's happening with book and magazine contracts.

Lynne Friedmann, editor since 2000, has a background in journalism and biology. She was a public information officer for the Developmental Biology Center at UC Irvine and the west coast media representative for the National Academies of Science and Engineering before becoming a science communications consultant and freelance science writer in 1988.

NASW members who have obtained an NASW.org username and password can browse and search the full text of all issues of ScienceWriters issues since Fall 1995.

Classified advertisements in ScienceWriters are $10 per line with an 8-line minimum. Deadlines are Dec. 1, March 1, June 1 and Sept. 1 with issues reaching subscribers two months later. Display advertising is also available. To place an ad, request display ad rates/specs, or for more information, see our Advertising page.

ScienceWriters excerpts

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Nov122015

The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) has announced that the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), in partnership with the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW), will host the 10th World Conference of Science Journalists, in San Francisco, in fall 2017, marking the first time WCSJ will take place in the United States.

Oct292015

Science and journalism can change the world — or at least make an impact on it. On April 1, award-winning National Public Radio science reporter Richard Harris delivered that message at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering with the presentation “Using the tools of science and journalism to make a difference.”

Oct152015

On March 10, at a massive sound stage here in the heart of Los Angeles, Alex Trebek stared down three contestants on the game show "Jeopardy!" The legendary host has presided over the TV show for 31 years, and that day he read off the following clue, which also appeared on a blue screen behind him: This condition has doubled in the last 30 years in U.S. kids & is linked to increased risk for diabetes.

Oct12015

When you decide it’s time to write your will or update it, it’s also time to prepare a “letter of instructions.” Ignore the legalese. The letter is an informal document that spells out where you keep important personal papers and what your assets are, among other things.

Sep172015

This spring brought a bounty of dubious headlines. There was the mildly outrageous claim that NASA secretly invented warp drive and the more believable one that using gay canvassers changed minds on gay marriage. And we heard a claim by journalist John Bohannon that he “fooled millions” with a hoax alleging that chocolate aided weight loss.

Sep32015

WCSJ2015 provided a forum for science journalism to discuss the demands of our changing times, forge new and renewed professional networks, and savor Korean culture. Undeterred by an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the 9th World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) took place June 8 to 12, in Seoul, South Korea.

Aug202015

Your friends at NASW, CASW, and Knight Science Journalism at MIT are hard at work on ScienceWriters2015, which lands in Cambridge, Mass., on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 9 to 13. For a sneak preview of the meeting, read more. Full conference agenda and registration details available now at ScienceWriters2015.org.

Aug62015

"We moved three times the first 10 years, and, honestly, it posed no hardship because two moves brought us to the vicinity of Washington, D.C., where there’s a large science writing community, as well as lots of writing jobs that generally pay well," Brittany Moya del Pino writes. "However, when we moved to the Hawaiian island of Oahu last summer, the situation was quite different. This is the story of how I’ve been dealing with that difference, which at times was so great that it felt as if I had moved to a foreign country."

Jul232015

What happens when you cross a beloved and compelling theory, a bevy of intensely competitive experiments on a highly technical subject, with a top-secret press conference, tight deadlines, and the desire to tell an exciting story? Perhaps you get the ascent and fall of BICEP2.

Jul92015

Cambridge, Mass., isn’t simply the home of top research universities like MIT and Harvard. Acre for acre, the Kendall Square area around MIT boasts the highest density of academic, corporate, and startup R&D activity in the world. The Brookings Institution calls Kendall Square “today’s iconic innovation district.” All of which makes it the perfect setting for ScienceWriters2015, coming to MIT Oct. 9-13. Also, NASW and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing will host the 10th World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) in fall 2017 in San Francisco.